Printed circuit board

ABSTRACT

A circuit board includes a plurality of circuit board areas, wherein the individual circuit board areas include at least one layer made of an in insulating base material and a conducting pattern located on or in, the base material, the following is provided: a substrate material, at least one registration mark formed in the substrate material, a first circuit board area arranged on the substrate material, at least one additional circuit board area, which substantially adjoins the first circuit board area or at least partially overlaps the first circuit board, the additional circuit board areas being oriented relative to the registration mark, and a plurality of connections of the conducting patterns of the first circuit board area and of the at least one additional circuit board area. Thus improved registration and orientation can be achieved when circuit board areas are coupled.

This application is a Divisional Application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/822,648 filed Mar. 13, 2013, which is a national stage ofPCT/AT2011/000374 filed Sep. 14, 2011 and published in German, which hasa priority of Austria no. GM 585/2010 filed Sep. 17, 2010, herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for producing a circuit boardconsisting of a plurality of circuit board areas, wherein the individualcircuit board areas comprise at least one layer made of an in particularinsulating base material and a conducting or conductive pattern locatedon or in the base material, said method comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing a substrate material,    -   forming at least one registration mark in the substrate        material,    -   arranging a first circuit board area on the substrate material        while orienting the first circuit board area relative to the        registration mark.

The present invention, moreover, relates to a circuit board consistingof a plurality of circuit board areas, wherein the individual circuitboard areas comprise at least one layer made of an in particularinsulating base material and a conducting or conductive pattern locatedon or in the base material, comprising:

-   -   a substrate material,    -   at least one registration mark formed in the substrate material,    -   a first circuit board area arranged on the substrate material,        said first circuit board area being oriented relative to the        registration mark.

PRIOR ART

In the context of the production of printed circuit boards consisting ofseveral printed circuit board areas which are, in particular, separatelyproduced and prepared such as, for instance, and, in particular, in theproduction of a rigid-flexible circuit board, it is proceeded accordingto presently known methods in a manner that a circuit board area isarranged on a substrate material, whereupon adjoining or contiguouscircuit board areas are likewise arranged on the substrate material andusually contacted with each other. As a rule, additional layers orplanes of such a circuit board are, moreover, connected to the mutuallyseparated or separately produced circuit board areas in order toproduce, as a whole, a multilayer circuit board. The presently knownmethods for producing such circuit boards consisting of several circuitboards or circuit board areas, in particular, involve the problem thatthe registration of individual circuit board areas to be connected to,or combined with, one another cannot be performed in a reasonable mannersuch that, according to the tolerances occurring in the production ofindividual circuit board areas, respective uncertainties in the relativepositions or positioning of such individual circuit board areas that areconnected to each other when producing a circuit hoard will exist or becaused. For the orientation of a circuit board area relative to asubstrate layer according to the method and circuit board of theinitially defined kind, it may, for instance, be referred to U.S. Pat.No. 4,626,462.

Such inaccuracies in the mutual arrangement of individual and, inparticular, additional or further circuit board areas will immediatelylead to problems when further processing, e.g. contacting and/orbonding, such individual circuit board areas, so that, for instance forensuring appropriate contacting, correspondingly large or enlargedbonding sites or contacts will have to be provided, which will renderdifficult or impossible any desired miniaturization of such circuithoards or circuit board areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, therefore, aims to avoid the above-identifiedproblems and improve a method for producing a circuit board consistingof a plurality of circuit board areas, and a circuit board, of theinitially defined kind to the effect that the mutual orientation orregistration of individual and, in particular, additional circuit boardareas to be coupled or connected to each other will be improved so as tosubsequently enhance, in particular, the accuracy of arrangement whenfurther processing such a circuit board consisting of a plurality ofsubareas. To solve the above-identified objects, a method of theinitially defined kind substantially comprises the following additionalsteps:

-   -   arranging at least one additional circuit board area        substantially adjoining the first circuit board area, or at        least partially overlapping the first circuit board area, on the        substrate material while orienting the same relative to the        registration mark, and    -   connecting the conducting or conductive pattern of the first        circuit board area to the conducting or conductive pattern of        the at least one further circuit board area.

Since, in the substrate material, at least one registration mark isformed and the first circuit board area is arranged while orienting saidcircuit board area relative to the registration mark such that,according to the invention, even the adjoining circuit board areas, orcircuit board areas at least partially overlapping said circuit boardarea, can likewise be positioned in respect to the precisely positioned,first circuit board area by being oriented relative to the registrationmark, an enhancement of the accuracy of orientation of the individualand, in particular, additional circuit board areas relative to eachother will be achieved. By providing such an enhanced orientation orpositioning accuracy of individual circuit board areas to be connectedto each other, it will subsequently be possible to perform furtherprocessing steps to be carried out, such as the formation of connectionor contact sites or the like on the circuit board areas, likewise withan accordingly enhanced precision so as to make it altogether possible,particularly in view of the increasingly desired miniaturization of suchelements, to do with smaller connecting elements while taking intoaccount the elevated orientation or positioning accuracy. By providingat least one registration mark in the substrate material, and afterhaving positioned the first circuit board area and also the furthercircuit board areas relative to said at least one registration mark, itis thus possible to produce a circuit board whose individual circuitboard areas can be arranged, and subsequently coupled or connected toeach other, with an elevated orientation or positioning accuracy.

For the proper and exact positioning of at least the first circuit boardarea, it is proposed according to a preferred embodiment that at leastthe first circuit board area is fixed to the substrate material via aninterposed adhesive. The use of an adhesive enables the direct fixationof the first circuit board area to the substrate material in such amanner as to achieve an enhancement of the respective orientation orarrangement even of the further circuit board areas, which, inaccordance with the first circuit board area oriented with reference tothe registration mark, can thus likewise be positioned in acorrespondingly precise or more precise manner. By using an adhesive forfixing the first circuit board area, it will, moreover, be possible todo with more cost-effective materials, for instance usually usedprepregs with optionally large or elevated resin flows, since in furtherprocessing or treatment steps of the circuit board under optionallyelevated pressure and/or temperature, an excessive flow of, inparticular, the base materials of the further circuit hoard areas willbe prevented by providing the adhesive for fixing the first circuitboard area. The use of low-flow prepregs can, thus, for instance, berenounced, in particular for the further circuit board areas or theirbase materials, thus also achieve a more cost-effective manufacture inaddition to the enhanced registration or orientation accuracy of theindividual circuit board areas to be coupled to each other enabled bythe invention.

In connection with the further construction of a circuit board accordingto the invention using the method of the invention, it is proposedaccording to a further preferred embodiment that at least one inparticular electronic component is additionally arranged on thesubstrate material, and/or embedded in the at last one further circuitboard area and contacted with at least one conducting or conductivepattern, wherein the component is oriented relative to the at least oneregistration mark. By providing the at least one registration mark, ithas thus become possible to precisely position additional componentslikewise in accordance with, and relative to, the individual circuitboard areas so as to provide the registration or positioning accuracyrequired for proper contacting even to such additional, in particularelectronic, components usually comprising a plurality of contact siteshaving comparatively small dimensions.

In particular, in order to further simplify the interconnection providedby the invention, of the conducting or conductive patterns of theindividual circuit board areas, it is proposed according to a furtherpreferred embodiment that the substrate material is formed by aconducting film. By providing a conducting film as substrate material,it will be possible, after having fixed or arranged the individualcircuit board areas on the substrate material, for instance by simplypatterning the substrate material and providing appropriate contactsites, to immediately effect the coupling or connection of theconducting or conductive patterns of the individual, adjacently arrangedcircuit board areas.

As already pointed out several times, the method according to theinvention enables the further mounting of additional layers or plies ofan in particular multilayer circuit board, wherein it is proposed inthis respect that additional layers or plies of a multilayer circuitboard are arranged on the circuit board areas disposed on the substratematerial and, in particular, having identical heights, as incorrespondence with a further preferred embodiment of the methodaccording to the invention.

Particularly during the manufacture of rigid-flexible circuit boards,the relative positioning of the individual circuit board areas and theircontacting are of essential importance such that, considering theenhanced registration or positioning accuracy to be achieved by theinvention, it is proposed according to a further preferred embodimentthat the first circuit board area is comprised of a flexible circuitboard area, and that the at least one further circuit board area iscomprised of a substantially rigid circuit board area.

Particularly during the manufacture of a rigid-flexible circuit board asindicated above, the mounting of further layers or plies is usuallyavoided, at least in the region of the flexible circuit board area, inorder to provide the desired flexibility of the circuit board area suchthat it is proposed according to a further preferred embodiment of thepresent invention that, after having connected the conducting patternsof the individual circuit board areas, the substrate material is atleast partially removed in the region of the first circuit board area.Thus, an appropriately rigid and resistant substrate material can, forinstance, be employed even in the manufacture of rigid-flexible circuitboards for mounting and/or connecting the individual circuit hoardareas, whereupon the substrate material is subsequently at leastpartially removed in the region of the first flexible circuit board areain order to, in particular, provide the flexible subarea.

To solve the initially identified objects, a circuit board of theabove-defined kind, moreover, substantially additionally comprises:

-   -   at least one additional circuit board area substantially        adjoining or at least partially overlapping the first circuit        board area and oriented relative to the registration mark, and    -   a plurality of connections of the conducting or conductive        patterns of the first circuit hoard area to the conducting or        conductive patterns of the at least one additional circuit board        area.

As already pointed out above, an enhanced mutual orientation orpositioning accuracy of the individual or all circuit board areas hasthus become possible by the at least one registration mark providedaccording to the invention in the substrate material such that, inparticular, processing or treatment steps to be performed subsequentlywill likewise be feasible with elevated accuracy and, for instance,while forming further circuit hoard elements having reduced dimensions.

In order to achieve a proper and safe fixation of at least the firstcircuit board area, it is proposed according to a preferred embodimentthat at least the first circuit board area is fixable to the substratematerial via an interposed adhesive. By using an adhesive for arrangingand/or fixing the first circuit board area, it will, furthermore, bepossible to do with low-cost materials, in particular for the basematerials of the further, adjoining circuit board areas, or circuitboard areas at least partially overlapping or encroaching the firstcircuit board area.

Taking into account the elevated positioning or registration accuracy tobe achieved by the at least one registration mark for at least the firstcircuit board area and the adjoining or contiguous circuit board areas,it is proposed, in particular in connection with the further productionor arrangement of elements on the circuit board according to theinvention, that at least one in particular electronic component isadditionally arrangeable on the substrate material, and/or embedded inthe at last one further circuit board area, and contactable with atleast one conducting or conductive pattern, said component beingorientable relative to the at least one registration mark, as incorrespondence with a further preferred embodiment of the circuit boardaccording to the invention. This will even enable electronic componentsusually comprising a plurality of connection or contact sites havingcomparatively small dimensions to be positioned and arranged, andsubsequently contacted, in an appropriately precise manner withoutproviding additional registration marks.

In order to simplify the contacting or connection of the conducting orconductive patterns of the individual circuit hoard areas, it isproposed according to a further preferred embodiment that the substratematerial is formed by a conducting film.

In order to produce a multilayer circuit board after the arrangement orpositioning of the individual circuit board areas, which are separatedfrom each other as indicated above, it is proposed according to afurther preferred embodiment that additional layers or plies of amultilayer circuit board are arranged or arrangeable on the circuitboard areas disposed on the substrate material and, in particular,having substantially identical heights.

For the simple production of connections or contacts of the individualcircuit board areas, it is, moreover, proposed that the connectionsbetween the conducting or conductive patterns of the individual circuitboard areas are formed by passage openings filled with conductivematerial, i.e. vias, as in correspondence with a further preferredembodiment of the circuit board according to the invention.

According to a further preferred embodiment, it is, moreover, proposedthat the first circuit hoard area is comprised of a flexible circuitboard area and the at least one further circuit board area is comprisedof a substantially rigid circuit board area.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by wayof exemplary embodiments schematically illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing. Therein:

FIG. 1 depicts a partial section through a first embodiment of a circuitboard according to the invention, which was produced by the methodaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2, in an illustration similar to that of FIG. 1, depicts a partialsection through a modified embodiment of a circuit board according tothe invention; and

FIG. 3, again in a partially sectioned illustration, depicts a furthermodified embodiment of a circuit board according to the invention, whichwas produced by the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, a substrate material provided with a plurality ofregistration marks 2 is denoted by 1.

On said substrate material 1, a first circuit board area 4 is arrangedor fixed via interposed adhesive pads denoted by 3, the position orregistration of the first circuit board area 4 relative to theregistration mark 2 shown on the right-hand edge of the illustrationaccording to FIG. 1 being denoted by a distance l₁. The distance l₁ inthis context refers to the central position of both the registrationmark 2 and the circuit board area 4.

The illustration in FIG. 1 is not to scale, since the relativedimensions of the registration marks 2 are, of course, smaller bymagnitudes than the dimensions of the circuit board area 4. It is,moreover, to be anticipated that the relative dimensions of theindividual circuit board areas, in particular the thickness to width orlength ratios, are not to scale, either.

After the arrangement or fixation of the circuit board area 4 on thesubstrate material 1, the arrangement of further circuit board areas 5and 6 is performed contiguously or consecutively to the circuit boardarea 4, wherein a distance between the circuit board areas 5 and 6 tothe circuit board area 4, which is centrally arranged in FIG. 1, isillustrated on an enlarged scale for reasons of clarity.

While the circuit board area 4 may, for instance, be comprised of aflexible circuit board material, the circuit board areas 5 and 6 are,for instance, comprised of rigid circuit board areas, the latter being,for instance, formed by appropriately precut prepregs.

With regard to the mounting of further layers or plies of the circuitboard, which in its entirety is denoted by 14, the provision of furthercircuit board areas 7 and also a circuit board area 8, which is arrangedabove the flexible area 4 and, in particular, removable later on, issubsequently performed.

In the illustration according to FIG. 1, the substrate material 1 is,for instance, formed by a film of a conducting or conductive material,in particular copper, wherein the partial region of the circuit board 14illustrated in FIG. 1 is subsequently completed by providing a coverlayer 9, which may again, for instance, be formed by a conducting orconductive material.

During the subsequent compression of the individual layers or plies ofthe embodiment according to FIG. 1, the arrangement of adhesive pads 3for positioning or fixing the first circuit board area 4 will preventthe flowing of the adjacently located circuit board areas 5 and 6, orthe base material of the same, in particular at an elevated pressureand/or temperature, thus enabling the circuit board areas to beconnected to each other to be maintained or arranged in a dimensionallystable manner.

Furthermore, a connection or coupling of the conducting or conductivepatterns of the individual circuit board areas 4 and 5, 6 and 7,respectively, to each other is effected, as is clearly apparent, inparticular, of FIG. 3, such conducting or conductive patterns providedon or in the individual circuit board areas being known per se and,therefore, not illustrated in detail in the drawing.

Such a connection can also be made by appropriately patterning thesubstrate material 1, which in the present case is comprised of aconducting or conductive film, and/or by appropriately patterning thecover layer 9.

By providing at least one registration mark 2 in the substrate material1, and positioning the first circuit board area 4 as well as theadjacent or consecutive circuit board areas 5, 6 relative to theregistration mark 2, an increased orientation or positioning accuracy ofthe individual circuit board areas 4, 5, 6 and 7 relative to one anotherwill be achieved such that it will, in particular, be possible toproduce the necessary connections to be subsequently established withcorrespondingly small dimensions, and hence contribute to theminiaturization of the overall structure of the circuit board 14.

When forming the first circuit board area 4 as a flexible circuit boardarea for the production of a rigid-flexible circuit board 14, theremoval of the removable subarea 8 and the at least partial removal ofthe substrate material as well as the cover layer 9 in the region of theflexible circuit board area 4 will be effected after completion of thesandwich structure comprised of several layers or plies of the circuitboard 14, thus exposing the flexible circuit board area 4 in anappropriate manner.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the same reference numeralshave been retained for identical or similar elements of FIG. 1.

Thus, a substrate material 1 formed with a plurality of registrationmarks 2 is also provided in the embodiment according to FIG. 2.Similarly as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1, a first subarea 4 ofthe circuit board is fixed via adhesive pads 3, wherein circuit boardareas 5, 6 and 7 are again consecutively provided on the right-hand sideof the illustration according to FIG. 2 similarly as in the embodimentaccording to FIG. 1.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, it is, moreover, provided that anin particular electronic component 10 is additionally arranged on thesubstrate material 1, or integrated in the circuit board 14, thefixation of the component 10 being again effected via an adhesive padschematically indicated by 11. Contacting of the component 10 with atleast one conducting or conductive pattern is effected by methods knownper se, e.g. by soldering, via microvias, etc.

Between the flexible subarea 4 and the component 10 are provided circuitboard areas 12 and 13 correspondingly matching in terms of dimensions.

Similarly as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the positioning ofthe circuit board area 4 relative to a registration mark 2 is againperformed in accordance with the distance of the respectively centralpositions, which is again denoted by l₁.

Moreover, also the component 10 is arranged relative to the registrationmark 2, with a distance l₂ being indicated.

It is immediately apparent that, by providing the registration mark 2 inthe substrate material 1, it will thus be possible to achieve not only acorrespondingly elevated orientation and positioning accuracy of thefirst circuit board area 4 and the adjoining circuit board areas 5, 6, 7as well as 12 and 13, but also a correspondingly elevated relativepositioning precision, in particular for contacting between the circuitboard areas 4, 5, 6 and the component 10, which is not illustrated indetail.

Similarly as in the embodiment according to FIG. 1, a connection orcoupling of the conducting or conductive patterns of the individualcircuit board areas, which are again not illustrated, and the component10 is effected, for instance, after the compression of individual layersor plies, which are illustrated separately in FIGS. 1 and 2. Also inthis case, the substrate material 1, and optionally also the covermaterial 9, can be formed by a conducting or conductive material film.

If the circuit board area 4 is again configured as a flexible circuitboard area, the area 8 may, for instance, again provide the desiredflexibility of the altogether rigid-flexible circuit board 14 aftercompression and an at least partial removal of the cover layer 9, andoptionally also the substrate material 1.

Instead of using a conducting or conductive material, it is alsopossible to form, in particular, the substrate material 1 of a rigid andsolid base material, which can or will be removed at least in the regionof the flexible subarea 4 after completion of the circuit board 14.

FIG. 3 depicts a further modified embodiment, wherein a first circuitboard area 4 can be fixed to a substrate material again denoted by 1 andcomprising a registration mark 2, via interposed adhesive pads 3.

Similarly as in the preceding embodiments, the orientation and/orpositioning of the central or mid-position of the first circuit boardarea 4 relative to the registration mark 2 is again performed accordingto a selected distance l₁.

While in the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 and 2 circuit board areas5, 6 disposed consecutive or contiguous to the circuit board area 4 arespatially adjacent, it is apparent from the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3 that circuit board areas 15 are partially encompassing oroverlapping the circuit board area 4. After having arranged or provideda cover layer again denoted by 9 for coupling or connecting theconducting or conductive patterns of the individual circuit board areas4 and 15, respectively, passage openings, e.g. lasers, microvias 16, areproduced, which will enable the coupling of conducting partial zones ofthe circuit board areas 4 and 15 by being filled with conducting orconductive material. Such microvias or, in general, passage openings 16for coupling individual circuit board layers are known per se.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, all circuit board regions 4 and15 are, for instance, each formed by rigid circuit board areas orelements, thus enabling the circuit board area 4 to be integrated to beagain precisely positioned relative to the registration mark 2.

The further mounting of additional plies of the circuit board againdenoted by 14 is indicated arrows 17.

Overall, a strongly increased precision or accuracy in the orientationor positioning of individual circuit board areas 4, 5, 6, 7 and 15,respectively, relative to each other will thus be achieved by simplyproviding at least one registration mark 2 in a substrate material 1 ora base.

In addition to enabling a rigid-flexible configuration of a circuitboard as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is also possible to produce suchcircuit board areas 4, 5, 6, 7 and 15 separately, for instance becauseof the different patterning and, in particular, different integration ofadditional elements, and subsequently assemble the same to form acomplete circuit board structure 14 by coupling individual, separatelyproduced circuit board areas.

Also in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, an increased accuracy ofthe relative positioning between such additional components 10 andcircuit board areas 4 and 15 to be connected or coupled to each otherwill be achieved in a manner similar as in the embodiment represented inFIG. 2, by additionally orienting further electronic components 10relative to the registration mark 2.

Besides the direct arrangement or fixation of such an electroniccomponent 10 directly on the substrate layer or substrate material 1 asillustrated in FIG. 2, the arrangement or integration of such anelectronic component 10 can, for instance, also be performed in acircuit board area 5 or 6 or 15 adjoining to, or bordering on, thecentral circuit board area 4.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A circuit board consisting of a pluralityof circuit board areas, wherein the individual circuit board areascomprise at least one layer made of an insulating base material and aconducting or conductive pattern located on or in the base material,comprising: a substrate material, at least one registration mark formedwithin and through the substrate material, a first circuit board areaarranged on the substrate material, said first circuit board area beingoriented relative to the registration mark, and a plurality ofconnections of the conducting or conductive patterns of the firstcircuit board area to the conducting or conductive patterns of at leastone additional circuit board area, wherein the circuit boardadditionally comprises: the at least one additional circuit board areabeing arranged on the same or common surface of the substrate materialas the first circuit board area, being adjoining or at least partiallyoverlapping the first circuit board area, and being oriented relative tothe registration mark; and wherein further layers of a multilayercircuit board are arranged on the circuit board areas disposed on thesubstrate material and the further layers have substantially identicalheights; wherein at least one electronic component is additionallyarranged on the substrate material, and embedded in the at least oneadditional circuit board area, and contactable with at least oneconducting or conductive pattern, said component being orientablerelative to the at least one registration mark.
 2. The circuit boardaccording to claim 1, wherein at least the first circuit board area isfixed to the substrate material via an interposed adhesive.
 3. Thecircuit board according to claim 1, wherein the substrate material isformed by a conducting film.
 4. The circuit board according to claim 1,wherein the connections between the conducting or conductive patterns ofthe individual circuit board areas are formed by passage openings filledwith conductive material.
 5. The circuit board according to claim 1,wherein the first circuit board area is comprised of a flexible circuitboard area and the at least one additional circuit board area iscomprised of a rigid circuit board area.